Goooooo, CAPCOM! whooo! i can see how arcades arent doing so well these days. nowadays it seems that everyone can afford a console/owns one. It's quite a shame considering gaming basically started with arcades.
Capcom rides Monster Hunter to Q2 gains
By
Tom Magrino
Japanese publisher pulls in $315 million during July-September quarter, with net income spiking 16.8 percent thanks to 2.5M-unit-selling PSP hack-and-slash.
The July-September fiscal quarter has been hit or miss for gaming companies across the board, with some admirably weathering the current hostile economic climate while others attempt to trim losses by reducing their workforce. Today, Capcom revealed that it stood firmly in the former category.
Reporting on its second-quarter earnings, Capcom exclaimed that while revenues saw a marginal 0.4 percent uptick from a year ago to ¥31.2 billion ($315 million), net income soared 16.8 percent year-over-year to ¥1.9 billion ($19 million). Operating income also saw gains of 9.8 percent, rising to ¥3.4 billion ($34 million).
As it did last quarter, Capcom once again singled out Monster Hunter Freedom 2G as having the most substantial impact on its bottom line, saying that the game "drastically increased both sales and profits." Released in Japan on March 27, the widely popular hack-and-slash PSP game has now exceeded 2.5 million units in total sales. In all, Capcom's Home Video Games segment generated an operating income of ¥3.6 billion ($38.6 million) on revenues of ¥16.5 billion ($167 million), a 1 percent year-over-year climb.
Otherwise, it was the same old story for Capcom, which again saw a significant portion of its gains in the home-gaming business offset by its struggling arcade business. Although arcade sales actually rose 7.4 percent to ¥6.8 billion ($68 million), operating profit plummeted 66.1 percent to ¥231 million ($2.3 million). This result came despite Capcom's efforts to provide "clean, bright, and fun arcades."
"We struggled in this area due to a lack of strong sales-inducing machines, intensified interregional competition, and a decrease in both the number of customer visits and average customer spending," said the publisher in a statement. "We are expecting this severe business environment for the arcade operation to continue, and the recovery of this market will take some time."
Even if less people are showing up to arcades in Japan, Capcom still generated hefty sales of actual arcade cabinets, thanks in no small part to the Japanese release of Street Fighter IV. Along with Sengoku BASARA X and Fate/Unlimited Codes, the game led Capcom's Arcade Game Sales segment to revenues of ¥4.1 billion ($41.5 million), up a whopping 196 percent from a year ago.
By
Tom Magrino
Tom Magrino has covered the games industry since 2006. He's been compared to Steve Martin by Ozzy Osbourne and Daniel Craig by Tim Schafer. His voice, heard largely on GameSpot's podcast, recalls that of Kermit the Frog. It ain't easy bein' Magreen.
20 comments
I think I'll get a PSP for this one,I've only played older games in the series and they were great
I think we care more about Dead Rising 2 and Bionic Commando, then Monster Hunter here in the states. I do have Monster Hunter 1 & 2 for the PSP and the PS2 version. The games are very good if you like this style of gaming.
I have all 3 Monster hunters (Ps2 & the psp sequels). The game is quite addictive, its the only psp game i play with. Nothing else beats it when it comes to online portable co ops. I really hope they bring the "G" version north side though...
Monster Hunters does suck pretty bad. I knew someone who played the console versions and when I tried to play, it was just jumbled, clunky, and very unenjoyable. Even after getting everything down, the experience didn't change that much. The PSP versions just have stupid long load times, even clunkyer controls and camera setup, and they don't offer a whole lot. Personally, if you wanted this style of game for the PSP, either stay away from them, or get Phantasy Star Portable. I was surprised by how well it played and how the load times were either short or non-exsistant. Why does Japan like games like this? I don't get it. I mean, it's really not that fun to play, it's not that fun to gain loot in the game, and it's not all that great presentation-wise... it's almost like the Dynasty Warriors phenomenon, only it can't get any worse than DW. I tried to like Monster Hunters, I really did. I thought it was the perfect game idea for the PSP, but the lack of a second joypad, which this game desperatedly needs in its current state of being, silly load times, clunky controls and gameplay, I just can't even understand why you would play it... unless maybe like me, you really wanted this kind of game, but unlike me, tricked yourself into thinking it was great... or maybe you did think it was great. That's great, you've found another reason to play the PSP, more than any reason I've found so far. I hope you enjoy it, and even though I just sort of burned the game, just ignore me and enjoy it. I don't matter. I'm a single human being who doesn't like the games you like, just go play them and have fun.
yes Monster Hunter dominates in HOngkong and Japan. People bring their psps to school just to play MH with their classmates.
Seems fasinating..... I really want to play the game that so much people are talking about =P
yeah I have monsterhunter for the psp but its really hard to find another player who can regularly get in 6 feet to play it together with, Im hoping the wii monsterhunter will expand its player base
it's sad that this game didn't catch on state side. capcom had potential with this one perhaps a next gen console version w\xbox live support. hmmmm....;-)
this game is much more fun in Japan and Hong Kong than in North America. You wouldn't believe how many people bust out their psp when they are traveling in the subway with Monster Hunter in their psp.
Im very interested in this game. I got the orginal monster hunter on the PS2 and i liked it even though without internet it was basically impossible to do anything :(
Thats great news and all, but when is Lost Planet colonies coming to the ps3, and why no news on Dead Rising 2?
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